No fate but what we make
by TFALokiwriter
Summary: A entirely different opening to Terminator Dark Fate. John Connor gets to make the choice. Terminator 2: Judgement Day post canon.


Uncle Bob was driving the Volkswagen somewhere in New Mexico headed from the Mountains after a rather long summer vacation. There was no more Skynet. There was no more Terminators to come after them. It was decided by Sarah when John was fast asleep and it was only Uncle Bob to provide some form of company with her how to properly dispose of him after living a long and eventful lifespan. He would live long as John Connor could then he would be set free. He could see in her eyes that she had doubts if he had a soul, as did he, it puzzled him on what exactly a soul was that John Connor had spoken of during their late night camping.

It was exactly strange to consider of the young boy not needing to grow up into the war made man. A man that was meant to be the savior of humanity. And the future of humanity. Not that had changed. He was a ordinary man by all means. How could he live a normal life? The young man's life was marred by going against the law and sneaking out, as a child would when rebelling, in his record. Sarah Connor fast asleep at the back letting the man drive the Volkswagen. The warm hums of the engine was soothing. John looked toward his mother with a smile leaning against the car seat.

"You know, Uncle Bob," John said. "I can get used to this."

"Explain,"

"Watching my mom be happy," John said. "Not crying every night. Maybe she may find herself a girlfriend or a boyfriend to help her heal over my dad," he sat down into the seat. "Like a ordinary adult."

"You are suggesting that she does not have a social circle,"

"A social circle that is largely focused on guns,"

"Affirmative,"

"Okay, you really should learn something other than affirmative,"

"No problemo,"

John dropped his forehead into his hands.

"Yes or no would do," John raised his head up. "You are not in the military. And you are going to speak like a adult that doesn't insult people. Get it?"

"Your previous lessons-"

"Were stupid. Disregard them. This is for having friends of your age," John stressed. "When you leave people, you say goodbye but when you'll see them again, you say: see you later, alligator."

Bob looked toward John with a straight face that was halfway healed from the battle with the T-1000.

"Is that correct?"

John thought it over for a moment.

"Yeah," He folded his arms then slunk down into the chair. Uncle Bob turned his attention back on to the road. "But when people are really mean to you. . . You say those things I taught you. Or you are just making their acquentice. But not the dickwad part!"

"Processed,"

"And by the way, if you like to be a badass, do it wisely. If people saw you all well from a major incident like, lets say, being covered in fuel, that will fuel a lot of suspicouns. You tell them, that was a look alike, but if you had spoken and they recorded it in some way, I think you shouldn't have gone there in the first place." Uncle Bob looked down upon the young boy. Someone who had once been a young leader of humanity now becoming a teacher to his very eyes. "It would work. Trust me. Happens all the time in the shows. And comics."

"I will take this wisely under consideration,"

"Now you are at it!" John slapped Bob's shoulder. "You know, I am going to miss you."

Bob looked down toward John in a way that demonstrated his confusion.

"You and I are going to have to leave, eventually, part ways," John said. "I could become a dad and have kids with the person of my dreams. Someone who will understand my wariness of the government. . . Maybe their entire childhood wouldn't be so screwed up as mine."

"Perhaps," His eyes looked upon the smaller individual. "You had children and a wife."

"Really?" John asked.

"Yes," Bob nodded.

"A patient and understanding wife," John said. "Won't find that in the next ten years. Twenty, maybe."

Suddenly, the car tipped forward and the long stretch of road began to collapse with creaks that were loud and bothersome. Under the night, the night lights tipped out falling toward the valley below. The cars on the bridge dipped down hurling toward the other roads below. John grasped on to the handle of the Volkswagen bracing himself for the worst with a "Woah!".

Bob rolled down the window then scanned the area below scouting for the change in the road. Cars behind him had came to a shrieking halt. He looked over spotting that the car was teetering on the edge of the Volkswagen. He slid open the door then stepped out. The car tipped forward slightly then John slid out the front half of the window. Bob remained half-way in and half way out of the vehicle then watched as the young boy slid down the roof of the Volkswagen then come down beside the car. Sarah was fast asleep, content, and peaceful.

"She is okay!" John came to Bob's side. "You can get out now."

"No," Bob said. "I am the only one keeping the Volkswagen from falling."

"Wait," John started. "how far are you from the edge?"

"Teetering,"

John looked below spotting Bob's boot digging halfway into the ground then looked up toward him.

"Get your mother and get out,"

John looked from the pit of disaster then toward Bob.

"No!"

"You must,"

"I won't do that!"

"John, this is a statement of fact. There is no mathematical solution which has a promising result."

He paced back and forth then combed his hands starting from his bangs to the back of his head then lifted his head up.

"What's the undesirable equation?"

"This situation not happening in the first place,"

"Uncle Bob, this is no time for snark!"

"You getting your mother out and standing aside,"

"If we did that then someone would come and collect your severely crushed frame and another Skynet would be made!"

"A future in which your wife and children exist in. You would meet her sooner rather than later. And a Terminator to protect you will replace me."

John turned around then faced the waiting vehicles.

"**The** future is **not** set. There is **no fate but** what **we make** for ourselves. . ." John said. "That's it." he turned toward Bob. "I am setting my future. Would the weight of the guns and I give you enough time to get mom and step aside?"

"Yes," Bob said. "But not enough time for you to get out of the car in one piece."

"Uncle Bob," John started. "The real heart of the resistance is love. That is it. Mom is the heart of the resistance. It is not me."

John scurried around the vehicle then slid up the trunk and yanked out the stash of guns in the back. He yanked it down.

"Not my young wife as a little girl. Nor my unborn children," he flung himself into the passenger seat then glared up toward Bob and appeared to be older than he really was for just that moment. "Got that? 'Cause future me sent you to save mom. Not for humanity. Not to save myself. But, for mom."

It was a long moment before Bob replied.

"Got it," Uncle Bob held up his thumb underneath the glove.

"Now, really, carefully, get out and get mom," John said. "That is a order. Now."

Silently, Uncle Bob, and carefully, got out of the car letting the young boy switch into his place.

"Mom, wake up," John said. "We got a little problem."

"What problem?" Sarah was awake with a snap.

"But I am handling it," John said, as the door slid open, then smiled toward his twenty-eight year old mother and winked back at her. "See you later, alligator."

"John-" Sarah started. "Let me go! What is going on?" John lowered his attention from the review window then closed his eyes gripping on to the wheel. "Bob, what is going on? Someone tell me-"

The car tipped forward then fell before her eyes as she was dragged away from the edge then Sarah's heart fell out.

"John!" Sarah screamed.

Sarah ran toward the edge of the bridge then paused as horror, distress, and anger spelled through her facial features. The back lights of the Volkswagen flickered on if only briefly, resting on the top of the several vehicles then it fell landing on to its sideways with a smashed front half. Sarah fell down to the ground as her entire world trembled and shook falling all apart from her well controlled hands until that were left was a big hole that couldn't be fixed. She got up to her feet, tears falling down her cheeks, her eyes fierce with rage then picked up the long pole on the side of the road.

With a scream, Sarah lunged toward Bob and he dodged grabbing a hold on to her weapon then shoved her aside. He bent the weapon in two as she fell to her feet landing to the ground as even more tears fell to the ground. Uncle Bob knew his time around Sarah Connor had ceased. It was no longer important to be around her. When she gazed up toward him, all he could see was the hurt, the agony, the outrage, and trauma all coming back to the surface from her first encounter as did the bias. Bob had no choice to turn around and walk away from the tragedy.

**The End.**


End file.
